P E A C E

Mary Marcia
America's STORYTELLER
Telling Untold Stories in Photographs, Prose and Public Speaking

Link:  http://tellmeastory-marcia.blogspot.com/2016/11/p-e-c-e.html

I am praying for you today.  I'm praying for each person that is going through a time of grief and sadness.  I pray that the PEACE of GOD will guard your heart and mind. 

I've been through storms in life, too.

The day my mother died, she fell out of the chair that I used to sit in at the kitchen table.  We named the chair, "The Crying Chair,"  and the story I wrote about it and our family is published in the book,  A Cup of Comfort.

Click on image to enlarge

Click on image to enlarge

LINK:  http://tellmeastory-marcia.blogspot.com/2015/09/the-crying-chair.html

LINK: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show?id=253125702

A friend of mine said Mom didn't need The Crying Chair anymore because GOD wipes away all tears in Heaven.

The day Mom went to Heaven, my brother, Bret, called to tell me  Mom died. It took me about 40 minutes to get to Mom and Dad's house in Liberty, Missouri.  

I arrived at my parent's house and found Mom lying on the sofa in the living room, covered with a blanket, as if she had fallen asleep on the sofa.  The hospice nurse placed her there.  

I knelt beside the sofa and prayed.   I got up from my knees and  looked up.  There on the cornice board (the wooden valance) above the living room drapes were  large letters on  brightly colored  velvet posters that decorated the cornice board.  I recognized them as one of mom's coloring projects. 

LINK:  http://www.stuff2color.com/?utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Stuff2Color%20Bing%20Campaign&utm_term=fuzzy%20color%20posters

The letters spelled out  P E A C E.

Mom so liked to have the last word.

This was her "Amen" to my prayer.

Mom always spoke her mind, and her vicious words often wounded me and others so much that it made me physically sick to my stomach after I visited her.  Mom never approved of our adoptions,  never accepted my chosen children as her grandchildren, and she let me and our entire family know it.    

My beautiful chosen children, daughters:  Sarah Zheng-Kang and Faith Fu Ju.  Copyright 2002 Marcia Norwood

My beautiful chosen children, daughters:  Sarah Zheng-Kang and Faith Fu Ju.  Copyright 2002 Marcia Norwood

 

I discussed this heartbreak with our wise adoption social worker, Margaret. 

Margaret  challenged me:  "Are you able to have a relationship with your mother without your young daughters being present?  Your first priority is to protect your daughters, but your mother is dying, and she hasn't always been this mean, has she?  Don't do or say something that you will regret the rest of your life."

Mom and Marcia (on left).  Copyright 1949 Marcia Norwood

Mom and Marcia.  Copyright 1970 Marcia Norwood

 

Mom made peace with GOD before she died, but she never apologized for the hurtful things she said to me and my chosen children, so I decided to trust JESUS to straighten her out when she got to Heaven.

Mom's last word left on the wood cornice board 

was  "P E A C E."

I received it, and I felt it, too:   the kind of PEACE that the world can't give, and the world can't take away.

GOD's PEACE.

LINK:  http://www.gty.org/resources/positions/P21/the-gift-of-peace

That is my prayer for you now.

P E A C E amid this storm - this sadness in your life.

Trust GOD to bring you through this.

Not everything is reconciled on this side of Heaven.  We have all eternity to make peace with each other.

For now keep your eyes on JESUS  

He will calm the storm in your heart.

He will never leave you.

Here are  some promises from The Holy Bible:

Philippians 4: 6-7

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to GOD, and the peace of GOD, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Isaiah 26:3
You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.

John 14:27
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

2 Corinthians 10:5
We demolish arguments  and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of GOD, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to CHRIST.

Ephesians 3:19
and to know this love that surpasses knowledge--that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of GOD.

Philippians 4:19
And my GOD will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in CHRIST JESUS.

Colossians 3:15
Let the peace of CHRIST rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.

1 Peter 1:5
...who through faith are shielded by GOD's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time,

and the peace of GOD, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through CHRIST JESUS.

Here are some songs for your heart and mind.

Let them minister to you.

HE KNOWS MY NAME

SONG LINK:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXKWsfbizB4

 

BECAUSE HE LIVES

SONG LINK:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4M-zwE33zHA

AMAZING GRACE/MY CHAINS ARE GONE

SONG LINK:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4M-zwE33zHA

Thanks for stopping by!

Come back often, and invite a friend! 

Mary Marcia
America's STORYTELLER
Telling Untold Stories in Photographs, Prose and Public Speaking

 http://tellmeastory-marcia.blogspot.com/

 

P E A C E

Mary Marcia
America's STORYTELLER
Telling Untold Stories in Photographs, Prose and Public Speaking

 http://tellmeastory-marcia.blogspot.com/

I am praying for you today.  I'm praying for each person that is going through a time of grief and sadness.  I pray that the PEACE of GOD will guard your heart and mind. 

I've been through storms in life, too.

The day my mother died, she fell out of the chair that I used to sit in at the kitchen table.  We named the chair, "The Crying Chair,"  and the story I wrote about it and our family is published in the book,  A Cup of Comfort.

LINK:  http://tellmeastory-marcia.blogspot.com/2015/09/the-crying-chair.html

LINK: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show?id=253125702

A friend of mine said Mom didn't need The Crying Chair anymore because GOD wipes away all tears in Heaven.

The day Mom went to Heaven, my brother, Bret, called to tell me  Mom died. It took me about 40 minutes to get to Mom and Dad's house in Liberty, Missouri.  

I arrived at my parent's house and found Mom lying on the sofa in the living room, covered with a blanket, as if she had fallen asleep on the sofa.  The hospice nurse placed her there.  

I knelt beside the sofa and prayed.   I got up from my knees and  looked up.  There on the cornice board (the wooden valance) above the living room drapes were  large letters on  brightly colored  velvet posters that decorated the cornice board.  I recognized them as one of mom's coloring projects. 

LINK:  http://www.stuff2color.com/?utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Stuff2Color%20Bing%20Campaign&utm_term=fuzzy%20color%20posters

The letters spelled out  P E A C E.

Mom so liked to have the last word.

This was her "Amen" to my prayer.

Mom always spoke her mind, and her vicious words often wounded me and others so much that it made me physically sick to my stomach after I visited her.  Mom never approved of our adoptions,  never accepted my chosen children as her grandchildren, and she let me and our entire family know it.    

My beautiful chosen children, daughters:  Sarah Zheng-Kang and Faith Fu Ju.  Copyright 2002 Marcia Norwood

My beautiful chosen children, daughters:  Sarah Zheng-Kang and Faith Fu Ju.  Copyright 2002 Marcia Norwood

 

I discussed this heartbreak with our wise adoption social worker, Margaret. 

Margaret  challenged me:  "Are you able to have a relationship with your mother without your young daughters being present?  Your first priority is to protect your daughters, but your mother is dying, and she hasn't always been this mean, has she?  Don't do or say something that you will regret the rest of your life."

Mom and Marcia (on left).  Copyright 1949 Marcia Norwood

Mom and Marcia.  Copyright 1970 Marcia Norwood

 

Mom made peace with GOD before she died, but she never apologized for the hurtful things she said to me and my chosen children, so I decided to trust JESUS to straighten her out when she got to Heaven.

Mom's last word left on the wood cornice board 

was  "P E A C E."

I received it, and I felt it, too:   the kind of PEACE that the world can't give, and the world can't take away.

GOD's PEACE.

LINK:  http://www.gty.org/resources/positions/P21/the-gift-of-peace

That is my prayer for you now.

P E A C E amid this storm - this sadness in your life.

Trust GOD to bring you through this.

Not everything is reconciled on this side of Heaven.  We have all eternity to make peace with each other.

For now keep your eyes on JESUS  

He will calm the storm in your heart.

He will never leave you.

Here are  some promises from The Holy Bible:

Philippians 4: 6-7

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to GOD, and the peace of GOD, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Isaiah 26:3
You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.

John 14:27
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

2 Corinthians 10:5
We demolish arguments  and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of GOD, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to CHRIST.

Ephesians 3:19
and to know this love that surpasses knowledge--that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of GOD.

Philippians 4:19
And my GOD will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in CHRIST JESUS.

Colossians 3:15
Let the peace of CHRIST rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.

1 Peter 1:5
...who through faith are shielded by GOD's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time,

and the peace of GOD, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through CHRIST JESUS.

Here are some songs for your heart and mind.

Let them minister to you.

HE KNOWS MY NAME

SONG LINK:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXKWsfbizB4

 

BECAUSE HE LIVES

SONG LINK:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4M-zwE33zHA

AMAZING GRACE/MY CHAINS ARE GONE

SONG LINK:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4M-zwE33zHA

Thanks for stopping by!

Come back often, and invite a friend! 

Mary Marcia

America's STORYTELLER
Telling Untold Stories in Photographs, Prose and Public Speaking

 http://tellmeastory-marcia.blogspot.com/

 

ENLIGHTEN WHAT'S DARK IN ME

Marcia Norwood
America's STORYTELLER
Telling Untold Stories in Photographs, Prose and Public Speaking

http://tellmeastory-marcia.blospot.com/

How long has it been since you

talked with GOD?

HE can be trusted

to work miracles in our heart and mind.

 

Dear God,

Enlighten what's dark in me...
Strengthen what's weak in me...
Mend what's broken in me...
Bind what's bruised in me...
Heal what's sick in me...
     and lastly...
Revive whatever peace and love 
Has died in me.

Amen

Thanks for stopping by!

 

Come back often, and invite a friend!

 

Marcia Norwood

America's STORYTELLER

Telling Untold Stories in Photographs, Prose and Public Speaking

 

 

 
 

IN THE PRESENCE OF MY ENEMIES

Marcia Norwood
America's STORYTELLER
Telling Untold Stories in Photographs, Prose and Public Speaking

IN THE PRESENCE OF MY ENEMIES

Is it possible to be happy when every situation isn't as you want it to be?
 

Copyright 2008 Marcia Norwood

 
Is it possible to be at peace when everyone isn't doing what you want them to do?

Copyright 2008 Marcia Norwood

Is it possible to be content when you don't have everything you desire?

Copyright 2008 Marcia Norwood

Is it possible to celebrate despite the storms of life?

Copyright 2008 Marcia Norwood

I've recited the words to the  23rd Psalm hundreds of times.  

King James Version (KJV)

 ¹ The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

² He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: He leadeth me beside the still waters.


³ He restoreth my soul: He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake.

⁴ Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

⁵ Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

⁶ Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

    


Sometimes certain words  jump off the page with new meaning and insight:  a perfect fit for the storms of life. 

There have been a few times in my life I was so overwhelmed that I couldn't get out of bed.  I couldn't eat.    I wondered if I would laugh again, or celebrate anything.  

I earnestly prayed for everything to be in order:  my order...my way.    I wanted my prodigal home,  my health and family restored, my work recognized and rewarded, my bank account bigger, and all my enemies to go away...far far away.

I prayed scripture.  I found a promise in God's Word, and repeated it back to Him - and in faith  I claimed it specifically for me.

^{GOD:  "}Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over."

ME:  "When did you write that, God?  Has that been in my Bible the whole time?  You expect me to go ahead and eat in the presence of my enemies?  In the presence of my enemies?  Blessings, Lord?  In the presence of my enemies?"

I gave up my desire for control.  I  surrendered to The Good Shepherd...before my prodigal came home,  before my health and family were restored, before my work was recognized and rewarded, before my bank account increased. 

My enemies have not yet disappeared, but I choose to eat, and laugh, and celebrate - in the presence of my enemies - because I trust The Good Shepherd to use every experience for my ultimate good and for His glory.  

Copyright 2008 Marcia Norwood

Yes! 

It is possible to be happy when every situation isn't as you want it to be.


Yes!

It is possible to be at peace when everyone isn't doing what you want them to do.

Yes!

It is possible to be content when you don't have everything you desire.

Are they smiling?!  Yes!  Copyright 2008 Marcia Norwood

Psalm 23 

(The Message Bible)

1 God, my shepherd! I don't need a thing.

2 You have bedded me down in lush meadows, You find me quiet pools to drink from.  

3 True to your word, You let me catch my breath and send me in the right direction.  

4 Even when the way goes through Death Valley, I'm not afraid when You walk at my side. Your trusty shepherd's crook makes me feel secure.

5 You serve me a six-course dinner right in front of my enemies.  You revive my drooping head; my cup brims with blessing.  

6 Your beauty and love chase after me every day of my life. I'm back home in the house of God for the rest of my life.

Copyright 2008 Marcia Norwood

Storms of life are inevitable. 

We are either coming out of one,  

                            in the midst of one,

                                             or going into one.

You can trust The Good Shepherd.

"My sheep hear My voice,

and I know them, 

and they follow Me."

John 10:27 

The Holy Bible

NKJV, New King James Version

Gracia Burnham's Book:

 "In The Presence of My Enemies"

CLICK on the link or COPY & PASTE the link in your browser:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/in-the-presence-of-my-enemies-gracia-burnham/1102252315?ean=9780842381383

Overview

2004 ECPA Gold Medallion winner! Soon after September 11, the news media stepped up its coverage of Martin and Gracia Burnham, the missionary couple held hostage in the Philippine jungle by terrorists with ties to Osama bin Laden. After a year of captivity and a violent rescue that resulted in Martin's death, the world watched Gracia Burnham return home in June 2002.

In this riveting personal account, Burnham tells for the very first time the real story behind the news—about their harrowing ordeal, about how it affected their relationship with each other and with God, about the terrorists who held them, about the actions of the U.S. and Philippine governments, and about how they were affected by the prayers of thousands of Christians throughout the world. Tyndale House Publishers

Thanks for stopping by!

Come back often, and invite a friend!

Marcia Norwood
America's STORYTELLER
 Telling Untold Stories in Photographs, Prose and Public Speaking

Copyright 2008 Marcia Norwood